Odoo Migration Checklist: Everything to Do Before Upgrading
Last updated: March 2026
An Odoo migration can go smoothly or turn into a multi-day firefight. The difference is almost always preparation. This checklist covers everything you should do before, during, and after upgrading your Odoo Community Edition database.
Before you start: audit your installation
- Identify your current Odoo version. Go to Settings > General Settings. Check the version number at the bottom.
- Inventory your installed modules. Go to Settings > Apps, filter by "Installed". Categorize: standard, third-party, or custom.
- Check third-party module compatibility. For each third-party module, check if a version compatible with your target Odoo version exists.
- Document your customizations. List custom views, reports, email templates, and automated actions.
- Clean up your data. Merge duplicate contacts, archive obsolete products, delete cancelled orders.
- Uninstall modules you do not use. Every installed module adds complexity to the migration.
Create your backup
- Export from Odoo's database manager. Navigate to /web/database/manager. Select the zip format (includes filestore).
- Alternative: pg_dump + filestore. Use pg_dump -Fc your_db_name > backup.dump. Then zip your filestore directory.
- Verify backup integrity. Restore to a test database and confirm your data is intact.
- Keep your original untouched. Store it somewhere safe — separate server, cloud storage, or USB drive.
Supported formats: .zip (Odoo database manager), .sql (plain SQL dump), .dump (pg_dump custom format).
Run a test migration first
- Upload your backup to OCU. Test migrations are free and unlimited.
- Restore the test result on a staging server. Test output is neutralized (emails disabled, crons off).
- Check for common issues: broken views, missing menu items, automated actions referencing renamed fields, email templates with outdated references.
- Note the migration time. Use this to plan your production downtime window.
Post-migration checklist
- Verify core workflows. Create a test sale order, process a payment, do a stock transfer.
- Check reports and email templates. Print a sample invoice, send a test email.
- Install updated third-party modules. Install versions compatible with the target Odoo version.
- Test integrations. Payment providers, shipping connectors, external APIs.
- Verify user access rights. Log in as different roles and check access.
- Update custom code. Check for deprecated methods, renamed fields, updated QWeb templates.
Migration timeline
| Phase | Timeline | Actions |
|---|---|---|
| Audit | Week 1 | Module inventory, data cleanup, backup creation |
| Test | Week 2 | Run test migrations, review results, identify issues |
| Fix | Week 3 | Update third-party modules, fix custom code, re-test |
| Go-live | Week 4 | Schedule downtime, fresh backup, production migration, verify |
Frequently asked questions
- How long should I plan for an Odoo migration?
- Plan for 2–4 weeks total. Small databases with only standard modules can compress this to a few days.
- Do I need to update third-party modules before or after migrating?
- After. During migration, third-party module data tables are preserved but views are disabled.
- What backup format should I use?
- Use the .zip format from Odoo's database manager — it includes both the SQL dump and the filestore.
- Can I migrate a database with demo data installed?
- Yes. OCU handles demo data automatically during migration.
- What if my test migration shows errors?
- Most errors come from third-party module views. Check that core workflows work correctly. Test migrations are free and unlimited.
- Do I need to uninstall unused modules before migrating?
- Not required, but recommended. Fewer modules means faster migration and fewer edge cases.